Who is Ben Barnes, is the Gold Digger star married and where else do I know him from?
BRITISH actor Ben Barnes is back on our screens TONIGHT in new BBC miniseries Gold Digger.
But this certainly isn’t Barnes’ first rodeo and you may recognise him from a host of other roles. Let’s check it out…
Who is Ben Barnes and is he married?
Ben is a 38-year-old British actor who was born in London on August 20, 1981.
His father, Thomas, is a psychiatry professor while his mother, Tricia – who’s originally from South Africa – is a relationship therapist.
Ben also has a younger brother called Jack.
He was educated at Homefield Preparatory School and then King’s College School in Wimbledon.
Ben later studied drama and English Literature at Kingston University where he graduated with BA Honours.
As far as we know Ben is not married, in fact little is known about his personal life.
Who does Ben Barnes play in Gold Digger?
Ben plays Julia’s toyboy Benjamin Golding in the BBC series.
Speaking about preparing for the role, he told the DailyMail about how he and Julia would go on dates to forge a believable bond on screen, revealing:
“We instantly had a great connection. We spent time on little dates, going to English country pubs and chatting about the world and the story.
“It certainly helps forcing the closeness when you have so many scenes together of that loving, intimate nature.”
What else do I recognise Ben Barnes from?
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
At the age of 27 Barnes landed the starring role in the very popular franchise The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.
Barnes had read the novel as a child and loved the idea and within a fortnight of meeting with the filmmakers, he was given the role.
The London-born actor spent two months in New Zealand learning how to do stunts and ride horses to be ready to shoot the film.
He also appeared in the third film of the series The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, this time as King Caspian.
Westworld
In the summer of 2015, it was reported that Barnes would replace Eion Bailey as Logan Delos in science-fiction thriller Westworld.
The first series aired in 2016 and is based on the 1973 film of the same name and also the film’s 1976 sequel Futureworld.
Westworld is about a fun-filled and technologically advanced Wild-West theme park, where guests may indulge their wildest fantasies in the park without needing to worry about the android ‘hosts’.
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The Punisher
Barnes has played a significant role in the Netflix original series The Punisher.
He starred in the Marvel film as Billy Russo, otherwise known as Jigsaw.
His character runs a private military operation known as Anvil.
His character changes in series two where he develops scars on his face, memory loss and his mind becomes fragmented, hence the name ‘Jigsaw’.
This happened after another character called Castle smashed his head into a mirror at the end of the first season.
Other work
The actor took on the titular role of the 2009 adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray.
Ben has also starred in The Big Wedding alongside Hollywood heavyweights Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton and Robin Williams.
As well as starring in 2014 fantasy film Seventh Son and The Words, to name a few!